We made these as gifts for some family members last Christmas. I had to make one for myself too...and list them in our shop! It's so much fun! Of course, this is an old picture since Valentine's has passed by now. I'm currently counting down to Winter Jam 2012!

What are you counting down to?

Guess what!  I officially registered for Sit. Stay. Art! 

This summer, my art pieces will hang in the Sit. Stay. Art! Gallery and if they sell, the proceeds will go to Pets & People Humane Society (a group of local no-kill shelters). Those who attend the art showing will also be given the opportunity to adopt the animals that were used as muses. I have chosen two muses for my art pieces! Ready to meet them? I got the photos from their bio pages. 

This is Mar. What's not to love about a lady with a mustache? I think she's beautiful. You can read her bio here.

This is Cheeto. I love cheetos. I am sure she is no exception. You can read her bio here.

Joe is still working on choosing his muse, but I am trying to convince him to take Conan O'Brien since he's such a huge fan. We'll see! Can't wait to start creating!! Maybe Khloe and Newly will help me out!  ;)

Oh fuzziest one.

Will your back mitten fly off,

If not held in place?

I thought Joe was so clever with that last line, until he told me that he was only playing off of what I said. Apparently whenever we come home I say "Okay, time to release the krakens!" when I open the door that separated the kitties while we were gone. It's a movie reference (a movie I haven't even seen, haha) but I found a video clip for you!

Where I can sprawl on the couch and watch TV with a doberman...

Where I can help out with painting projects...

Where I can sit in my PJs and stare into these lovely ears...

Where I can be utterly creeped out by this barn shoe sticking out of the mudroom shower....

Well, three outta four ain't bad. 

P.S. I seem to have a reoccurring issue.

#19

He sends me sweet texts. 

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What are Husband Facts? 
There are so many things that I love about Joe--and so many ways that he shows love to me.I easily forget some of these little things, so this is my way of recording them.

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There are few things better than the company of a grey kitty on a grey rainy day.

                                                         source

This has been an amazing week and weekend. Our church picks a word to focus on each year (as I've seen many of you do personally) and this year the word is "favor". As in, God's favor in our lives. This week was packed full of it. I wanted to write it all down before I forgot, and there's a lot to tell. There is a picture or two, so hold out for those if you can!  

Tuesday: I got up early with Joe but I had secretly decided to crawl back in bed after he left for work. As soon as I did I remembered that the washer repairman was coming. Ugh. But I was actually really happy because our washer has been acting up and stalling for almost 2 years. We couldn't afford to fix it so we never did. It was really annoying to have to stop and start the washer repeatedly to complete a cycle. Last week I decided to google it to see if we could fix it ourselves and I discovered a whole mass of people who have the exact same error that we do, and that Whirpool had issued a recall on that model. So I called up their customer center and even though my washer is 6 years old and out of warranty, they sent a guy out to fix it for no charge whatsoever. I can't believe we didn't get it fixed sooner!!  Anyway, this was my "I'm lazy but have to be presentable and maybe bright colors will make me feel better" look. Khloe bombed the photo.

Wednesday: I woke up and was overwhelmed with a lot of negative thoughts (loss of friendships, financial stress, worrying about the future). But I got up and plodded through the day anyway. Joe was at class that night and I was feeling lonely and sad. 

Side note: Can I just say how dedicated and hard working Joe is? He works full time as a commercial plumber, goes to class two nights a week (and one Saturday a month) and works every single weekend and even some weeknights doing various side jobs. Like laying flooring in my mom's bedroom:

Or making metal roses to sell in our Etsy shop:

He has a drive and a passion to be creative, so he uses those long monotonous hours spent digging ditches and underneath buildings thinking up creative ideas. It's so inspirational to see him make those ideas a reality.  I've spent a long time trying to become braver at following what inspires me too. I have been playing piano at church and gaining a little more confidence each time. I have also been drawing these silly comics and doodles and the more I draw, the more ideas I think of.  I recently reorganized my desk so that all of my art supplies are in easy reach, in hopes that I just grab some paints or colored pencils and start making colorful art again. 

Okay, back to Wednesday: So, remember I was feeling lonely and sad? Well eventually my kitties had infiltrated by soul with their feline ways. I drew a couple of comics that made me giggle. I also emailed with a friend back and forth, making plans for a camping trip we're taking this Spring. That got me thinking positively again, because I was reminded that I DO have friends who love me and know me and like hanging out with me. Then I got a notification on my phone from Etsy, saying that we had sold a metal rose. I was SO excited! We don't get a ton of sales, so we celebrate every single one like its our first one, haha. So when Joe got home after class (around 10pm) I couldn't wait to tell him all about it. 

Thursday: That morning we received another Etsy order!  I was jumping with excitement! No really, there was actual jumping. I'm a bad upstairs neighbor sometimes. Oops. Anyway, Valentine's Day is working in our favor! I love thinking about how cool it will be for the person they give the rose to. I texted Joe about it and went about my day. Joe was asked by a co-worker with some help framing out a wall at his house. The guy fed him dinner and paid him for his work. Joe had a some much needed guy time. That evening I got an email from a friend I don't talk to very often, saying that she thinks of me often, complimenting my smile, beauty, gratefulness, and creativity. Another confirmation that I DO have friends that love me (apparently I've been struggling believing that). Her email was so sweet, I burst into tears. It was exactly what I had needed to hear. When I went to bed that night, I laid awake grinning ear to ear into the darkness and thanking God for everything that had happened so perfectly the last couple of days.

Friday: We received THREE more Etsy orders.  I just stared at the screen with my mouth hanging open. Haha. It rained all day on Friday and it was overcast (my favorite). I think I floated around the apartment on rainbows, I was feeling so happy and excited and encouraged! Joe got let off work early that afternoon and we just hung out for a few hours (a rare occurrence lately!) That night we attended a Volunteer Celebration at our church. I was invited because I'm part of the worship band, and Joe was my plus one. When we arrived, they literally had a red carpet rolled out, camera flashes and all the church staff dressed elegantly on either side of the red carpet cheering loudly for us as we walked in. They were even interviewing people (like they do on the red carpet on TV) for a fun video they'd put together later, but I skipped out on being on camera. We were served miniature cupcakes and cheesecakes on fancy trays they were walking around with. We found a corner and sipped coffee and ate cupcakes while talking with each other about our future. It was just what we needed.

An hour into the party, they opened up the auditorium where we had a great time of worship and then got to see comedian Michael Jr. perform live.  My face hurt from smiling, my sides ached from laughing. Then he opened it up for Q&A's, silly or serious.  Someone asked him "When did God call you to be a Christian comedian?" and I just loved his answer. He basically explained (interpreted in my own words) that God doesn't just call you up on the phone and tell you what you're supposed to do with your life next. It's more like, God has already created you as this talented, unique, multi-faceted person. It's a life long process of learning to take what you already have been given and fine tune it into something amazing.  Don't go looking for some profession or calling that you think will impress God or the people around you. Wow. It was a confirmation once again that life is a journey and a crazy adventure and there aren't giant road signs all the time.  You know which way to go because only you were meant to go there.  So, I loved the heart behind Michael Jr's comedy. It reminded me of my current favorite quote.  "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -Howard Thurman  I went home with one of the Thank You balloons from the event. I felt appreciated. Inspired. Challenged.

Saturday: Joe went to class. I slept in like a bum, exhausted from too much laughing or something. haha. A friend/family member had left a comment on one of my pictures telling me that I made her life better and she appreciated my crafty ideas, witty insights, and skilfully illustrated cartoons. Of course this made me sniffle up some happy tears again. Joe got home around 2pm and dove right into filling all of our Etsy orders while watching old SNL episodes on Netflix (we're on a free 30 day trial and its awesome).  I cooked a big meal of fish and cheese grits (what Joe craves all the time) and then checked Etsy to tell Joe some details he needed and whatdya know--1 more Etsy order for a metal rose and a request from someone asking us to create a really fun custom project. We kept telling each other, imagine if we were this busy all the time? This would be our typical day! Filling Etsy orders in our pajamas. ha!

I don't want to forget anything I heard or saw this week/weekend. I want to soak it in and remember it, because it was this tiny yet glorious taste of what it would be like to reach that part of our dream. It was a reminder that we're getting there. It was a reassurance that we have amazing people in our lives loving on us and showing their support. The money Joe made from laying the flooring at the ranch, framing that wall with a co-worker, and now all of these Etsy orders is going towards our camping trip this Spring (which will be the first real vacation we've ever taken that isn't to see family) and also towards our roadtrip to the Florida panhandle for Joe's big family reunion this summer. Oh, and a small portion of it will go towards the registration fee for an art sale we've been hoping to join in on! Joe and I are participating in Sit. Stay. Art! 2012.  My mom blogged about it here. It's a great cause and because the focus is on these lovely animals and NOT on me promoting myself, I feel good about it. It takes the pressure off and amps up the inspiration. For date night earlier this week Joe and I sat down and brainstormed ideas for our art submissions. He's doing something with metal, there may be moving parts mounted on springs! haha I love it. I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing but it will be a painting bursting with color.  

I cannot tell you how much color and happiness having two cats brings to my life. If one cat was warm and fuzzy...two cats has me tearing up with mushy gushy emotions. But I don't care if it looks crazy to sit in my cozy apartment talking to two cats, creating pretty art, making music, and selling Joe's metalwork online. It's what makes me happy and it's what makes me feel like I'm being exactly what I'm supposed to be. It's what makes me come alive.